


Like a Bird Set Free

by Samus_newlymade



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samus_newlymade/pseuds/Samus_newlymade
Summary: Haikyuu! is technically a show about a high school volleyball team trying to go to nationals but it's also about a group of guys learning how to love something for the first time. A male omega is sent to Karasuno high school as a punishment by his fiancée and is preparing himself for the worst. But during Karasuno's journey to the top, he too finds himself flying higher than he ever dared. He will never be the same again.
Kudos: 1





	1. Rage smells like Acid

**“I am too young, and I’ve loved you too much” Fyodor Dostoyevsky**

Up until this precise moment, Daichi reflected, the day had been going so well. Hinata and Kageyama had finally got their act together, for now, and the 3 on 3 had been more successful than he had ever hoped. Tsukishima didn’t fool anyone, once he got past his doubts, he would be more competitive than anyone. Takeda sensei coming with the news that a powerhouse school like Aoba Johsai wanted to have a practice match was just the cherry on top. So, when Takeda pulled him aside afterwards, Daichi expected nothing more than a talk about logistics. But now . . .

“An omega is being loaned to our school.”

Now he had to deal with this. Takeda sensei nervously scratched the back of his neck, he looked as stressed as Daichi felt.

“Forgive me for telling you first Daichi san, but I wanted your help breaking the news to the team. I don’t think anybody finds this situation ideal, least of all Suzuki san.”

_Damn straight it’s not ideal_ , Daichi thought but he took care not to let it show on his face. Instead he asked, “Sensei if you don’t mind me asking . . . what will they be doing, while they’re here?”

_Please let it not be what I think it is. Please let it not be what I think it is._

Takeda sensei waved his hands frantically. “Nothing like what you are thinking of I promise! I was assured by the principal that it would be pheromone control only. We do have more alphas than usual this year; it’s just in case someone goes into a rut or emotions get out of hand. He can’t provide other services”, Takeda’s face went slightly green at the word, “He has a fiancé after all”.

“He has a what?!?” Tanaka’s head perked up in the distance at that so Daichi quickly lowered his voice. “Sorry Sensei, but there’s no way any alpha with enough money to get an omega would let them be loaned to a high school of all places.”

Tadeka sensei was looking more uncomfortable by the second.

“I can completely understand why you would have that reaction. To be honest, it was my reaction as well. But it appears- it appears that-” He stopped and tried to collect himself. “It appears that his fiancé was the one who loaned him out.”

_What do you say to something like that?_ Daichi wondered. His stomach rumbled dangerously but it felt a long way off somehow, like his body had moved twenty feet away but his mind had stayed put. _I know I should say something but what?_

“Daichi san?”

His head snapped up and almost gagged at the scent his body was producing, dark and caustic like battery acid. Tadeka sensei was covering his nose in an apologetic way. Daichi immediately bowed low and started stuttering out apologies but Tadeka waved him off.

“It’s alright Daichi san, truly.” Tadeka said, as he helped Daichi back upright. “In a horrible way I’m glad you had that reaction. It means you are a good person.”

A shout from behind caused them both to turn around. It seemed that Hinata and Kageyama were having a contest to see who could jump the highest but Hinata had tripped and gone face first into the wall. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were snickering, and Tanaka was rolling on the floor laughing.

“Hinata you idiot!”

“Shut up jerkface, I’ll get it next time, just you watch!”

“How? Your form sucks!”

“Yeah well you suck more!”

Tadeka sensei sighed. “I think it may be a good idea to keep the news about the fiancé a secret for right now. Some of our members can be a bit . . .”

“Stupid?” Daichi asked bluntly.

“I think a kinder word might be impulsive.” Takeda said, although Daichi could see him trying not to laugh. “All of them would have the best of intentions of course, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they might cause problems for Suzuki san by accident. I’ll make sure to talk to him before he comes to practice just so that we are all on the same page.”

Daichi nodded and just like that, his captain face was back on. “I’ll gather everyone up. If you’ll lead sensei, then I’ll back you as needed.” He said and strode towards the gym. “Kageyama stop chasing Hinata and Tanaka, so help me god, get off the floor!”

_Did I do the right thing?_ Tadeka wondered, as he watched Daichi grab Hinata and Kageyama by their shirt collars. _He’s so mature for his age that I forget that he’s still a kid too in some ways. Maybe I should have just lied to everyone and handled this on my own._ Seeing the team get bullied into attentiveness, Tadeka sensei willed himself not to cry. _I’m sorry, Daichi san. I wish children didn’t have to pay for our mistakes._

The next morning Daichi awoke to bed sheets that were no longer clean with snatches of a half-remembered dream floating in his mind. In his dream, a beautiful man with tears in his eyes had begged Daichi for help while a disgusting looking alpha had arrogantly demanded his prize back. It was a tense battle, but in the end Daichi landed the finishing blow. The crowd cheered, the other alpha slunk off in disgrace, and the beautiful man proclaimed his love for Daichi in front of everyone. And then- Daichi looked down at his sheets and groaned.

_Am I a good person, Tadeka sensei?_ He thought bitterly as he went to remove his sheets, _am I really?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something about the dialogue feels a little off but for the life of me I couldn't tell you what it is. in the mean time, here you go.


	2. Hope smells like Fresh Dirt

**“It was heartbreaking. That’s all right. I like to have my heart broken.” Kurt Vonnegut**

_For almost a century, the Behaviorist movement in the field of psychology advocated that parents should not hold their children. They argued that it got in the way of development; children were supposed to be blank slates after all, so if you coddled them as babies then they would never learn to be self-sufficient as adults. The school of thought had a direct influence on how the government treated wards of the state, and omegas are claimed by the state as soon as they are born. It wasn’t until after World War 2 that there appeared direct evidence to the contrary, the war orphans for whom there was no one to give touch or affection. Research showed that those children were behind in almost every conceivable developmental benchmark and had increased likelihood of depression and anxiety. But as is often the case, there was a huge lag between research and practice. It took the fall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceau_ _ᶊescu in 1989 and the clear effect that neglect had on children in Romanian orphanages for governments to take a closer look at their own orphanages. I can clearly remember some older omegas, my senpais, that been returned after more emotionally well-adjusted omegas came of age. The look in their eyes still haunts me. They had already given up and were waiting to die._

The morning that the omega, _Suzuki Minato_ his brain supplied, was supposed to arrive had come and Tanaka was nervous. Like, really nervous. Like, trying to tell Kiyoko san how much he liked her, nervous. Yeah he complimented her every day, but that wasn’t the same as spilling his heart and soul out to her! Besides as soon as any moderately attractive woman spoke to him, the idiot switch in his brain turned on until she left. And now they wanted him to be able to function around an omega? Nope. Not happening. Impossible.

At first, he been relived to the omega was a guy. He could be normal around guys no problem. Except lately, he kept having the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t exactly straight. He wasn’t gay, Kiyoko san existed after all, but Tanaka was pretty sure no straight guy would fantasize about making out with Ennoshita either. Correction: no straight would fantasize about making out with Ennoshita multiple times. And omegas were supposed to beautiful right? Kiyoko san being as attractive as she was made at least some sense. God had simply come down from the heavens and said, “You shall be the most perfect person in existence” and the world had arranged itself to make that happen. But a guy being that beautiful? Tanaka sighed. Once again, all signs pointed to him being a blithering idiot around a guy who had come the way from Tokyo to help them out. Sometimes being 16 SUCKED.

“What about being 16 sucks?”

Tanaka froze. Ennoshita was standing in front of him and smirking.

“Are you having a crisis of youth or something?” He said as he fell in step with Tanaka. “That’s adorable.”

“Shut it!” Tanaka barked, although his heart wasn’t in it. “Can’t a man face his problems in peace?”

Ennoshita pondered this with a serious expression. 

“Ahh you may have a point there Ryuu chan. I apologize for intruding.”

Tanaka looked up hopefully.

“You really mean that Ennoshita?”

“Of course.” Ennoshita slapped Tanaka on the back before jogging ahead. “Besides if it’s not passing your exams, you might actually have a chance at succeeding.”

By the time Tanaka figured out what he had said, Ennoshita already had a considerable head start.

“You frigin bastard!” Tanaka screamed, flinging himself towards Ennoshita’s retreating back. Him? Liking Ennoshita? Not in a million years. Guy was a total asshole.

Suzuki san was introduced to the team after warmups and Tanaka could say with a certain amount of relief that he was not beautiful. That wasn’t to say he was ugly, Tanaka actually thought he was quite handsome in a kind sort of way. But it was not a face that stopped people in their tracks or made them do a double take. All the better then, because it appeared to him that Suzuki san was not a man that liked standing out. His clothes were the same as his manner, neat but not eye-catching. He had let Takeda sensei take the lead with the introductions, only chiming in to apologize for the inconvenience and assure the team that he would do his best to remain out of the way. After that, he and his alpha bodyguard had climbed up to the bleachers for the remainder of practice.

Now, Tanaka would be the first to admit that he often made rash judgements about people, often going on gut feeling than actual behavior. That being said, he hated the bodyguard. Even up in the balcony, the guy was trying to intimidate the team. Was that a pot calling the kettle black? Okay fine, maybe a little, but he was also bullying Take chan and that shit wasn’t gonna fly. The guy, Tanaka hadn’t bothered to learn his name, kept calling down stuff about the team needed discipline and how if Takeda wasn’t man enough to do it then he would do it himself. He was in middle of saying something else when Suzuki did the most badass thing Tanaka had ever seen in his life.

He stood up suddenly, cutting the other man off mid-sentence, and began to climb back down to the court. He reached Takeda san and gave a full 90-degree bow while his bodyguard and the entire team stared dumbfounded.

“My apologies.” Suzuki said, his eyes trained on the floor. “Saito san is over-zealous in his duties but in a way not appropriate to the situation. You have been nothing but kind to us thus far, and we have failed to reciprocate.” He then turned to look directly at the alpha in the balcony.

“He will correct himself.”

Suzuki san then turned and began to walk back towards the ladder. Tanaka stood stock still until Daichi yelled at them to keep practicing, and even then, his mind couldn’t let go. Was it possible to fall in love at first scolding? Tanaka had no idea but it didn’t matter, that was the coolest thing he had ever seen. That dude got eviscerated and boy did he look like it. Try making fun of teach now, asshole!

Fortunately or unfortunately, Tanaka couldn’t decide which, the rest of practice went without incident. Mr. Asshole stayed on his phone the whole time, but Suzuki san watched attentively so Tanaka made sure to be on top of his game. In the end, however, it wasn’t him that got a reaction out Suzuki. Kageyama had set a beautiful toss, high and long right in front of the net, and Hinata had answered. His body had exploded off the court like it had an aversion to gravity, and in the blink of an eye the ball was struck down back to earth.

“amazing.”

Tanaka looked up at that softly spoken word, and for an instant the gym was filled with scent of ferns sprouting after a long winter, a garden in full growth. Suzuki’s eyes were shining, with a full grin on his face.

 _Ah crap,_ Tanaka thought, dazed. _He really is beautiful after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haikyuu! has no bad characters but Tanaka will always hold a special place in my heart. He's loyal, he cares for his teammates, and is absolutely correct for simping over Kiyoko or as my friend likes to call her "Japanese Beyoncé".


	3. Prologue

Any government agency with decent funding took design very seriously when it came to their facilities, and the National Omega Rehabilitation Program (N.O.R.A for short) had serious funding. They were the real breadwinners of the Japanese government after all, and they intended to stay that way. 

His bedroom was 6 by 8 feet, with a bed and a set of drawers, no desk. If someone wanted to use a desk, all they would have to do was walk to one of the various public spaces in the facility. The message was clear: If you want to create something, you'll have to do where we can see you. All the rooms had full length mirrors, a more clear cut message than first. He never used his. On a good day he didn't care what he looked like, a bad day meant he couldn't stand the sight of his reflection. Dr. Kuseno has tried exposure therapy upon his reentry to the program. It was a disaster. It took weeks of him trying not to scream and no progress for her to give up in bewilderment. It never occurred to her that the things she praised him for were the very things he hated most about himself.

But today had been a good day. He had been informed that he would no longer required to go to therapy and instead be given extra time working in the community garden. He was quiet and grateful as was appropriate but he could have kissed his case officer. Ito san did a good job of keeping up a grumpy old man front but it was clear that he had pulled some strings. There was always a slight frown on the man's face which got progressively deeper with each failed therapy session, and if there was something Ito san couldn't stand it was needless suffering. He would have to thank the old guy properly later. 

Laying in his bed now, he unconsciously reached for his pillowcase and pulled out a small scrap of folded paper. He didn't bother to unfold it this time; all he had to do was close his eyes and the image appeared a clear as when he had first got it, that last tearful goodbye. Hidden in the folds, a young man with orange hair soared through the air, legs bunched under him, arms outstretched to hit an invisible toss. Even with his back to the camera, his body seemed to scream with joy, like a bird set free. The text reads: The Crows fly to Tokyo once more.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so please be gentle. Constructive criticism would be great (I can't improve otherwise) I just ask that you be polite. My goal for this one is to try and keep everyone is an in character as possible and to try and make the secondary genders make sense.


End file.
